Psalm 113

Read Psalm 113

“Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!” In the days of Jesus and beyond, Psalms 113 through 118 were used in connection with the celebration of the Passover. As the Jews commemorated God's miracle of deliverance for them through the blood of a lamb, one of the psalms that they sang began with praise.

The Lord was always to be praised, “from this time forth and forevermore.” The God of the Passover was to be worshiped everywhere—not only in the Promised Land, but all over the earth “from the rising of the sun” in the east “to its setting” in the west. He was not only the ruler over one small country. He was “high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!”

The great God who was “seated on high,” was reigning in the big issues that concerned the rising and falling of kingdoms and in the daily heartaches that touched regular people. “He raises the poor from the dust … to make them sit with princes.” He not only cared, but He was also well able to accomplish everything that He desired. “He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.”

We still call out to the Lord in prayer today because we believe that He loves us and that He is very able to bring us help in every matter, great and small. We may not be Jews, but we know that the Jewish Messiah is reigning on high with a stated purpose that touches the lives of His people all over the globe. We trust that the same Jesus who died for our sins still knows our needs today. We can confess our sins and find complete forgiveness. We can ask Him for help in impossible situations and He hears us.

We have come to believe that the Passover Lamb has a worldwide mission of deliverance. We trust that He knows us very intimately and will help us when we sing to Him. “Praise the Lord!”

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Lord God, You have blessed us in so many ways. We thank You sincerely. You are above all nations. There is no god like You. You saw us in our poverty and need. You met us in our barrenness. You have granted us godliness with contentment. You have promised us a future forever in Your Kingdom. We praise You.